2014 Chapters (Layout Features)

Access to Justice for Indigenous Persons with Disabilities: Key Issues and Opportunities

Pollack, Carol

In addressing access to justice issues experienced by Indigenous Peoples, the rights and concerns of Indigenous persons with disabilities must be taken into consideration. This is critical both because of the magnitude of the barriers to justice faced by many Indigenous persons with disabilities and because of the number of people impacted. Over 1 billion people, or approximately 15 percent of the world’s population, have disabilities.2 While no global data exists regarding Indigenous persons with disabilities, available statistics show that Indigenous persons are often disproportionately likely to live with a disability in comparison to the general population. Indigenous persons with disabilities frequently experience multiple forms of discrimination and face barriers to the full enjoyment of their rights, based on their Indigenous status and also on disability.